19 Sep 2022

Matsiloje  residents breathed a sigh of relief last Thursday (September 15) when Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Mr Molebatsi Molebatsi informed them that their cattle will not be killed for now.

Residents had thronged the main kgotla expecting bad news as their area is adjacent to Zone 6b which has been infected with Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).

The meeting was tense as residents listened carefully to the deliberations. However, the atmosphere changed when the assistant minister informed them that their area had not yet been infected.

However, he warned that should the disease be later detected in their area, their cattle would also be killed. He urged them to guard against the disease by avoiding  illegal transportation of meat or illegal livestock movement from infected areas.

Mr Molebatsi also informed residents that a team of veterinary officers and the police had  impounded fresh meat which was being illegally transported between zones. 

He said the meat was intercepted at Sese, Serule and Sikukwe veterinary gates. He said the meat was being transported without a permit and in violation of  imposed movement restrictions.

He said the impounded meat would be disposed-off and cautioned farmers to desist from illegal activities which were against veterinary guidelines.

Mr Molebatsi also said government was spending a lot of money on the fight against FMD. He appealed to stakeholders to partner with government in sensitising farmers on the dangers of illegal stock movement in order to contain the disease.

He thanked farmers in the zone for their patience and exemplary behaviour in spite of the difficulties and inconvenience caused by the restrictions in place.

He noted that farmers were cooperating with ministry officers in disease surveillance and control efforts. 

He added that FMD was one of the impediments towards achieving the country’s food security goal.

He said one of the challenges was elephants as they destroyed the veterinary cordon fence between Botswana and Zimbabwean as well as vandalism and theft of the fence.

He noted that recently 800 metres of a newly installed cordon fence was stolen along the border fence.

In his welcome remarks, Kgosi Eric Moipolai complained about the increasing number of elephants, saying they contributed to the destruction of the border cordon fence.

He complained that it took long to maintain the border fence and that theft of the fence and poles also contributed to the outbreak of FMD.

One of the residents and a cattle baron, Mr Mothibi Lephalo complained about the frequent outbreak of FMD along the border with Zimbabwe.

He said FMD would continue to be a threat to their livelihoods as they depended on livestock. Ends